Hold me close
by darkph0enix16
Summary: A rewrite of the ending of Arrow Season 4, Episode 15. If the baby mamma drama hadn't happened, Olicity would be having their first wedding anniversary by now. To their rekindled relationship, I say better late than never(!), but here's a small taste of how things could have gone differently at the end of 4x15… Disclaimer: I own nothing from Arrow


Oliver opened the video recorder on his laptop, dread and despair filling every inch of him with what he was about to do.

"Hello, William," he started, pasting on the most cheerful smile that he could muster at the moment, "I hope you're well, and I hope you're safe."

He tried his hardest to continue the rest of his message for his son - _the son he may never meet again in his life_ \- without breaking down. With every word, the emotions threatening to flood got stronger, but he held them at bay.

"Goodbye, son," he finished, voice breaking. "I sure hope it's not forever."

He shut the lid of the laptop, unable to restrain himself for a second longer, when he observed his fiancée wheeling herself into the room.

Felicity, the woman he'd pledged to spend the rest of his life with, and the truest love he'd ever had.

 _And with whom he hadn't shared the existence of his son, the biggest secret of his life._

Things had been so different until then. _Normal._ They'd been attending Felicity's physio classes together, trying to get her limbs to respond to the spinal chip that Curtis had invented; discussing wedding plans, seating arrangements, who to invite, and a million other trivial things.

 _Nothing would ever be the same for them anymore._

He sighed, resigned. "How much of that did you hear?"

His voice sounded broken, muted. Foreign to his own ears.

"Enough," she said softly, wheeling herself closer to him. "Oliver, we need to talk."

His heart ached, and he tensed, expecting the worst.

When Samantha had asked him to keep William's existence a secret from everyone, he'd blindly agreed, willing to do anything to keep seeing his son at the moment. And when he had gone back to meet Felicity that day, he _knew_ in his heart that he was making a mistake, but felt like he had to honor his promise somehow - a decision that blew up in his face when Damien Dahrk kidnapped his son last week.

Felicity had been unusually cold since she had known about it, closed off from him unless conversation was absolutely necessary. While he wanted nothing more than to plead his case with her, he had set this talk aside to focus on rescuing his son. As had she.

Now that everything was taken care of, he braced himself, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Felicity took a deep, stumbling breath and started talking.

"When William was in danger, I had to table what I was feeling about _everything_. But now that I've had some space, I realize that some things cannot go unsaid any longer. I know the position Samantha put you in meant that you had to make these impossible decisions. But you were making these decisions without me while I was looking forward to spending the rest of our lives _together_."

Her glance fell to her lap, where she was fiddling with her engagement ring.

"I thought about removing this so many times this past week…" Tears brimmed her eyes, and Oliver barely stopped himself from imploring her to not leave him. "There were so many times I almost did. And each time felt worse than the time before, like I was cutting away a part of my soul."

The fiddling stopped, and she raised her eyes to meet his gaze. She looked composed now, determined.

"I thought about us a million times, evaluating, re-evaluating - and the more I think about it, I realize… We _belong_ together, Oliver. No matter what."

Oliver let out a long-drawn breath, smiling in relief. "Felicity…" he started, but she didn't allow him to proceed.

"I understand that as the Green Arrow you have to make tough choices, and that those choices would have severe consequences. But when you told me that you weren't allowed to tell me about William, I thought that part of the reason you didn't was because you were hesitant to trust me in some way."

"No," he vehemently protested. "That wasn't the case _at all_."

"I know, Oliver." She smiled at him, a smile that never failed to make his heart go soft. "I know that now.

"When you were out on the field rescuing William, Samantha told me everything - about how you insisted on telling me until _she_ shut you down with an impossible ultimatum. And I understand," she continued, "why you might have chosen to act the way you did in that situation."

Emotion clogged Oliver's throat and he simply nodded, incapable of verbal response. Her expression grew tender at that, keen eyes missing nothing.

"I only require one thing from you now, Oliver," she said.

"What?" He asked, hope surging inside him.

Felicity was his lover, his best friend, his true north - and he was willing to do whatever it took if it meant keeping her at his side.

"No more secrets," she stated. "Not between us. Not anymore."

"I promise, Felicity. No more secrets," he vowed, meaning every word of it.

"Good," she smiled, leaning towards him and extending her hand.

Oliver reached out to grasp his hand in hers, a measure of happiness spreading through him after the longest time. _It was a miracle that this remarkable woman was taking him back_ , he thought, delight spreading him as he imagined the rest of their lives together.

Felicity's loud gasp brought him down from his thoughts fast, his first instinct to protect her from whatever was causing her distress. She was looking down at her feet, but instead of fear, shock and awe were displayed in her expressive face.

Oliver followed her gaze, and his heart stopped for a second at what he was seeing. It seemed like the universe wasn't done performing miracles just yet.

Felicity's right leg, which had been devoid of any feeling or sensation a few hours back, was now planted firmly on the ground - with no assistance from her wheelchair necessary.

"Felicity?"

Oliver rushed to her side, hand still holding hers, as she slowly lifted herself from the wheelchair. Her legs supported her entire weight without even an bit of wobble or sway.

" _Oh my god_ ," they breathed in unison, as the full effect of what they were seeing finally seeped in. Oliver continued to hold her fast, refusing to let go even though he knew she could stand on her own.

He cradled her face in his hands, looking deep into her blue eyes. The words he'd been holding in came tumbling out.

"I love you, Felicity."

"I love you too," she replied, reaching up on her toes to mirror his actions.

And then he did what he'd been dying to for days. He kissed her.

She responded enthusiastically, fusing her lips to his in the slow dance that they'd grown to love. Sweet and soft at first, their breaths mingling until every fibre of him felt like a part of her. It reminded her of the first time he'd kissed her almost two years back, and she couldn't help her breathy moan.

Oliver tangled his tongue with hers, taking advantage of her parted lips and making their kiss deeper. The hands cradling her head travelled down her neck till the small of her back, pressing her lower body against his. She could feel his significant excitement and arousal against her core. The sensations made her shiver, and she broke the kiss to meet Oliver's frenzied gaze.

Wordlessly, he scooped her up in his arms and started walking towards the stairs.

 _Oh, she knew where this was headed._

"Really, Oliver?" she mock-chided, running a hand down his chest. _Pity he wasn't naked at the moment_. "I just got my legs working again, and you're not letting me use them?"

He was almost at their bedroom now, pausing outside the door to lower her.

"A pity," he grunted absently, utterly focused on unlocking the door. She wanted to tease him further, but her need was too great.

She bit her lip, silently watching him work the bedroom key. After what felt like hours, but was really a matter of seconds, he finally opened the door.

Felicity rushed into the room as fast as her legs could carry her, and Oliver followed just as quickly. The door shut behind them with an audible _thud_.

For the next few hours, no more teasing took place, and the only sounds that could be heard were those of love and lifelong commitment.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed it and let me know what you think! :)

I'm **darkphoenix16** on tumblr and AO3


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